The moment he stepped onto the fifty-second floor, Genichi immediately sensed a terrifying wave of magical power rising from below.
He moved from his original position at once. In the very next second, a pillar of fire punched through the spot where he had been standing. It was the breath of a cannon dragon from the fifty-eighth floor, powerful enough to pierce multiple levels.
The cannon dragon's attack had struck the exact place where he had just been.
Genichi did not hesitate for even an instant. He leaped forward and dropped straight down.
His body plunged rapidly, the wind howling past his ears, yet he showed no trace of panic.
On the contrary, he began chanting, his voice clear and steady even amid the roaring air.
"O omen of the end, O white and endless snow. At the hour of dusk, raise up the raging storm. Sealed light, frozen earth. Let blizzards fill the sky, let winter come thrice over - my name is Alf!"
This was Riveria's magic.
Vas Windheim.
It was one of Riveria's strongest attack spells, capable of summoning an extreme blizzard of cold and snow that froze everything in its path.
As he fell, magical power surged wildly through him, and the surrounding temperature plummeted.
The instant his feet were about to touch the ground of the fifty-eighth floor, the spell reached its final charge.
"Vas Windheim!"
Genichi thrust both hands forward, and a vast tide of icy magic poured out like a burst dam.
In an instant, the entire fifty-eighth floor was frozen solid.
Those cannon dragons, creatures resembling Western dragons with great wings on their backs, did not even have time to react before the sudden storm sealed them in ice.
Their bodies were caught in their final moments. Some were about to spit flame. Some were about to spread their wings. Some were about to roar.
But everything froze in an instant.
Then the frozen cannon dragons began to break apart, turning into countless ice crystals that drifted down through the air.
The scene looked like a funeral of snow and ice, beautiful and lethal.
Genichi landed firmly on the ground. All around him stretched a white, frozen world.
He scanned the area, making sure no enemies had been missed, and only then let out a breath.
The members of the two great Familias dropped down right after him through the hole blasted open by the cannon dragon.
But the moment they saw the sight before them, all of them froze.
The fifty-eighth floor should have been the nesting ground of the cannon dragons, home to countless powerful monsters.
According to the records left behind by the Zeus Familia and Hera Familia, at least two adventurers above Level 6 were needed working together just to pass through safely.
But now the entire floor had been sealed in ice.
Those cannon dragons, those terrifying monsters capable of blasting through whole floors in a single strike, had all become drifting shards of ice.
And it had all happened in a single instant.
Riveria stood at the front of the group, her pupils shrinking sharply.
She recognized it.
This was her magic.
Vas Windheim.
One of the spells she was most proud of, proof of her standing as elven royalty and as Nine Hell.
Riveria could tell that the power of Genichi's spell was not inferior to hers in the slightest.
If anything -
It was stronger.
Because when she cast Vas Windheim, she needed to stand still, focus completely, and complete a full three-stage chant.
But Genichi had completed the chant while falling, finishing the spell at the exact moment he landed.
What did that mean?
It meant his control over magic had already surpassed her own.
Riveria's mind went blank.
As Orario's strongest mage, she had always been the one all other magic users looked up to.
She was known as Nine Hell, the pride of the elves, the greatest source of magical firepower in the Loki Familia.
And yet now, a boy had surpassed the accumulation of her decades in just two months.
Genichi turned and looked at the group.
"All right. Keep moving. Fifty-ninth floor."
His tone was calm, as if what he had just done were nothing more than a trivial matter.
With that, he took the lead and headed for the entrance to the fifty-ninth floor.
Riveria remained standing in place, staring at his back, endless thoughts surging through her mind.
How had he done it?
She thought back to the spells Genichi had used earlier.
Fairy Force was her defensive magic.
Vas Windheim was her attack magic.
Laurels was Daphne's defensive magic.
Red Hamply was Alise's enchantment magic.
Ariel was Ais's enchantment magic.
And then there was the magic used by the shadow servants created through Shadow King.
Just how many spells had he mastered?
Riveria did not know.
But she knew one thing.
If Genichi wished it, he could become any mage he wanted in an instant.
Riveria took a deep breath and stepped forward to catch up with the group.
She did not feel disappointed.
She did not feel jealous.
What she felt was only this.
Awe.
Awe toward that boy.
"Riveria, are you all right?"
Finn noticed something off about her and asked quietly.
Riveria shook her head and gave a complicated smile.
"...I'm fine. I'm just feeling a little reflective."
Finn looked at her for a moment but did not press further.
As captain, he could more or less guess what Riveria was thinking.
"That guy really is a monster," Finn said softly. "But he's our monster."
Riveria paused for a moment, then nodded.
Yes.
No matter how strong he was, no matter how many spells he had mastered, at least for now, he was on their side.
That was enough.
The group continued onward and soon reached the fifty-ninth floor.
But the moment they stepped inside, Finn's voice rang out.
"Wait. This place..."
He looked around, frowning deeply.
"According to the records left by the Zeus Familia and Hera Familia, the fifty-ninth floor should be an icy region. But this..."
Before them was a landscape overrun with lush plant life.
Thick green vines climbed the walls, and all sorts of strange plants swayed under the glow of magic-stone lamps.
The air was filled with the scent of damp soil and a faint floral fragrance. It did not feel like the deep Dungeon at all. It felt more like some kind of tropical rainforest.
Everyone stopped, watching their surroundings warily.
A sharp glint flashed through Genichi's eyes.
"So it really did happen early."
He muttered under his breath, too softly for anyone else to hear.
The records of the Zeus Familia and Hera Familia were now hundreds of years old.
The Dungeon was alive. It changed constantly.
And its recent fury had only accelerated that change.
The fifty-ninth floor transforming from a glacier into a rainforest was proof enough.
"Be careful. They're coming."
Genichi suddenly spoke, a note of gravity in his voice.
As soon as he said it, the ground began to shake.
A moment later, everyone saw it.
One after another, monsters resembling giant green caterpillars burst up from the earth.
(End of Chapter)
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